Quote:But Mr Cameron has now effectively told Sir Jeremy to reach a compromise under which a sensible' proportion of the correspondence is released.

Quote:

Now America loses Blair's 'I'll back Iraq war' letter to Bush: Mystery of missing note that told US President, 'whatever you do, I'm with you'

• Tony Blair has so far refused to release letters written to George W Bush
  
• The archive contains 25 personal letters and 130 official records concerning Iraq
  
• The refusal has led to a delay in Sir John Chilcot's report on the decision to go to war
  
  

By GLEN OWEN, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT
PUBLISHED: 23:26, 17 May 2014 | UPDATED: 02:29, 18 May 2014

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Tony Blair, pictured, has refused to release 25 personal letters written to former US President George W Bush

A personal letter written by Tony Blair to George Bush backing his plan to wage war on Iraq has reportedly gone missing' from the official Presidential library as pressure grows on the former Prime Minister to sanction the release of the private notes he wrote to Mr Bush.

The letter, which is said to begin with the words: You know, George, whatever you decide to do, I'm with you', was last night described by a senior figure involved in the diplomatic negotiations at the time as absolutely critical' to the public's understanding of the war because it reveals the extent to which Mr Blair gave Mr Bush a blank cheque'.

Mr Blair's refusal to authorise the publication of 25 personal letters and 130 official records of conversations with Mr Bush has led to a long delay in the publication of Sir John Chilcot's official report into the war. Sir John held his last public hearings in 2011.

On Friday, David Cameron made public his frustration, saying the report should be published by the end of the year.

Mr Blair, backed by Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood a key member of his inner circle during the build-up to the 2003 conflict has argued that the sensitive documents should remain classified.

But Mr Cameron has now effectively told Sir Jeremy to reach a compromise under which a sensible' proportion of the correspondence is released.

The development comes as lawyers for the American government are deciding whether to release any of the documentation under US freedom of information laws. Since January nine years after the conclusion of Bush's first term in office the letters have technically been available to researchers who ask for them, if they are cleared by a vetting committee of lawyers.

More...

• David Cameron wades into Chilcot row: I want to see the report by the end of the year
  
• NORMAN LAMONT: If anyone should be in the dock over Iraq, it's not British soldiers but Tony Blair
  
• Blair-Bush letters ARE delaying Iraq report, says Chilcot: Head of inquiry admits records of conversations is an issue
  
• Britain has tried to block release of US 'torture files' that could prove Blair Government was complicit in ill-treatment of terror suspects, it is claimed
  

But the lawyers have indicated to researchers based in the UK that the only correspondence they have not been able to find is the I'm with you' letter, sent by Mr Blair in July 2002, nine months before the outbreak of war.

The letter, which was hand-delivered by Mr Blair's foreign policy adviser Sir David Manning to US national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, has been referred to indirectly in political memoirs covering the period.

When Mr Blair was questioned by the Chilcot Inquiry in 2011, he denied the specific wording of I'm with you whatever' but admitted he thought it would have been profoundly wrong' not to honour commitments he had previously given to the US President.

Mr Blair's critics suspect he has been hoping to delay the Chilcot report which is likely to prove personally damning as well as awkward for the Labour Party until after next year's General Election.

Sources say the letters were pretty much one way' with Bush failing to respond in a similarly personal manner'.




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A letter written by Tony Blair, left, to George W Bush, right, has gone missing from the Library of Congress

Last night, a British-based source involved in the effort to obtain the release of the letters told The Mail on Sunday: The lawyers are taking months to evaluate the letters and decide whether to release them.

However, they claim not to have been able to locate the with you whatever'' letter.'

One senior figure involved in the 2002 negotiations between London and Washington told this newspaper: There is absolutely no point in having this inquiry if the letters are kept secret. They are completely pivotal to our understanding.

And the I'll be with you'' letter is the most critical of all it gave the green light.'

Mr Blair's office did not respond to requests for comment.

David Guyatt Wrote:Imagine that. Bliar's letter to Georgie-porgie backing his Iraq war goes missing.

But I love this statement from Cameron on the inquiry by Privy Councillors which shows just how much of a joke it really is.

Quote:But Mr Cameron has now effectively told Sir Jeremy to reach a compromise under which a sensible' proportion of the correspondence is released.

Someone quickly define "sensible" please!
"I'm with you whatever" you decide the definition is... ::laughingdog::

The Chilcot row highlights Blair's Iraq legacy: accusations of manipulation, secrets and lies

David Guyatt Wrote:Shortly after Blair eft office, the BBC aired a drama that centred on behind the scenes moves to makes Blair stand trial for war crimes at the Hague. Pity it hasn't happened.

David Guyatt Wrote:Meanwhile, it is interesting that it was all the military men who stepped forward to make Chilcott public. Mmmm.

Quote:Chilcot report into 2003 Iraq conflict delayed further

Due to have been published three years ago, the Chilcot report now threatens to haunt UK politics ahead of the 2015 election

• Richard Norton-Taylor
  

• The Guardian, Thursday 26 June 2014 19.11 BST
  
• Jump to comments (259)
  

The Chilcot inquiry was set up in 2009 and has cost over £9m so far and it will unlikely be published until next year. Photograph: Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images

The Chilcot inquiry, which is expected to contain damning criticism of the way Tony Blair and his close advisers led Britain into war against Iraq, is unlikely to be published until next year, the Guardian has learned.
A further delay in the report on the 2003 invasion, due to have been published three years ago, could mean the issue will continue to haunt British politics in the runup to next year's general election.
That is likely to be even more the case if there is no end in sight to the present crisis in Iraq which threatens to perpetuate deep divisions and violence in the oil-rich country.
Whitehall sources suggest the latest delay in the long-awaited report is the result of continuing disputes over criticisms the Chilcot panel plan to make of Blair and other ministers and advisers involved in the decision to invade Iraq.
Chilcot announced last month that after years of heated disputes with successive cabinet secretaries, and discussions with Washington, he had agreed to a settlement whereby summaries, and "the gist", of more than a hundred records of conversations between Blair and George Bush in the runup to the invasion, and of records of 200 cabinet discussions, would be published, but not the documents themselves.
Chilcot has described the content of the documents as "vital to the public understanding of the inquiry's conclusions".
In a letter to Sir Jeremy Heywood, the cabinet secretary, last month, Chilcot said "detailed consideration" of the information he has requested had begun, adding "it is not yet clear how long that will take".
In a reference to the procedure taken from the inquiry into Robert Maxwell's business dealings, whereby those the inquiry intends to criticise will be shown drafts of the relevant passages, Chilcot told Heywood that "once agreement has been reached, the next phase of the Maxwellisation process can begin".
Philippe Sands QC, professor of law at University College London, said: "How painfully ironic that Britain used force in 2003 when it was manifestly illegal, but will likely and rightly not do so now in response to a request from the government of Iraq, when it would rather more arguably be lawful."
Sands, a close follower of Chilcot and earlier inquiries into the invasion of Iraq, added: "The situation in Iraq today is terrible and tragic, but it's a futile exercise to speculate as to the exact connection with decisions taken in 2003 … It would be more sensible to reflect on what might be learnt from the mistakes of the past."
He continued: "Who exactly is responsible for the delay [in the Chilcot report] is unclear, but it is hard to avoid the suspicion that political considerations might have come into play."
Sands described the delay as "rather disgraceful", and said publication of the report should now be delayed until after the election, to avoid it being used as a political tool.
David Cameron said last month he wanted the report by the end of the year. The Scottish National party has said it should be published before September's referendum on Scottish independence.
The Chilcot inquiry was set up in 2009 and has cost over £9m so far.

Quote:Chilcot inquiry: Blair and Straw to get warning letters ahead of publication of report into 2003 invasion of Iraq



Anyone criticised in public inquiries is entitled to see and challenge extracts related to them


MARK LEFTLY


Sunday 20 July 2014

Sir John Chilcot, chair of the public inquiry into the 2003 invasion of Iraq, is poised to send formal letters to those whose conduct he criticises in his final report.

The then Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, are among those expected to be sent what are known as "Salmon" or "Maxwellisation" letters in the coming weeks. Anyone criticised in public inquiries is entitled to see and challenge extracts related to them before publication. The letters are named after Lord Salmon, who held a public ethics inquiry in the 1970s, and the late newspaper baron Robert Maxwell, who challenged the way criticisms of his dealings were handled in a public report.
The long-running inquiry is examining the period from summer 2001 to the end of July 2009, taking in the run-up to the Iraq war, the conflict and its aftermath. The final report has been delayed, latterly as Sir John negotiated with Sir Jeremy Heywood, the country's most senior civil servant, as to what he could publish.
The limits on what can be published led to criticism that the inquiry could end up being a "whitewash" of a war that divided the nation and tarnished Mr Blair's 10-year premiership. However, Sir John and the Cabinet Office now appear to be close to agreement, as the Salmon letters could not be sent out until the "quotes and gists" have been finalised.
In a select committee hearing last week, Sir Jeremy said that he wanted the inquiry to publish "the maximum possible without destroying our relationship with the US [and] without revealing secrets that don't need to be revealed".

David Guyatt Wrote:He (Chilcott) "wants the inquiry to publish the maximum possible without destroying our relationship with the US" --- nudge, nudge, wink, wink...

Chilcot Inquiry into Iraq War Sends Shockwaves through Whitehall

DRAFTS of the official inquiry into the Iraq war have sent shockwaves through the British bureaucracy, with key players fighting to tone down or even delete the criticism.